Netflix Analysis¶

Author: Cerasela Bralaboi Date: 31/07/2025

Objectives¶

This notebook analyzes Netflix content to uncover key trends and hidden insights about what drives popularity on the platform. Our analysis focuses on the following goals:

  1. Identify major tendencies¶

  • Which genres and content types are growing or declining in popularity.

  • How Netflix’s catalog has evolved over time in terms of movies vs. TV shows.

  1. Explore hidden perspectives on popularity¶

  • How duration (movie length or number of seasons for TV shows) correlates with popularity.

  • How genre and ratings influence audience preferences.

  • Relationships between content characteristics and overall visibility or success.

  1. Highlight top production countries¶

  • Determine which countries produce the most Netflix content.

  • Examine how production origin might influence content trends.

The ultimate aim is to gain a deeper understanding of what Netflix audiences prefer, what genres are on the rise, and which factors contribute to a title’s success.

How is our data structured?¶

id title type description release_year age_certification runtime genres production_countries seasons imdb_id imdb_score imdb_votes tmdb_popularity tmdb_score
0 ts300399 Five Came Back: The Reference Films SHOW This collection includes 12 World War II-era p... 1945 TV-MA 51 ['documentation'] ['US'] 1.0 NaN NaN NaN 0.600 NaN
1 tm84618 Taxi Driver MOVIE A mentally unstable Vietnam War veteran works ... 1976 R 114 ['drama', 'crime'] ['US'] NaN tt0075314 8.2 808582.0 40.965 8.179
2 tm154986 Deliverance MOVIE Intent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before... 1972 R 109 ['drama', 'action', 'thriller', 'european'] ['US'] NaN tt0068473 7.7 107673.0 10.010 7.300
3 tm127384 Monty Python and the Holy Grail MOVIE King Arthur, accompanied by his squire, recrui... 1975 PG 91 ['fantasy', 'action', 'comedy'] ['GB'] NaN tt0071853 8.2 534486.0 15.461 7.811
4 tm120801 The Dirty Dozen MOVIE 12 American military prisoners in World War II... 1967 NaN 150 ['war', 'action'] ['GB', 'US'] NaN tt0061578 7.7 72662.0 20.398 7.600
5 ts22164 Monty Python's Flying Circus SHOW A British sketch comedy series with the shows ... 1969 TV-14 30 ['comedy', 'european'] ['GB'] 4.0 tt0063929 8.8 73424.0 17.617 8.306
6 tm70993 Life of Brian MOVIE Brian Cohen is an average young Jewish man, bu... 1979 R 94 ['comedy'] ['GB'] NaN tt0079470 8.0 395024.0 17.770 7.800
7 tm14873 Dirty Harry MOVIE When a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San ... 1971 R 102 ['thriller', 'action', 'crime'] ['US'] NaN tt0066999 7.7 155051.0 12.817 7.500
8 tm119281 Bonnie and Clyde MOVIE In the 1930s, bored waitress Bonnie Parker fal... 1967 R 110 ['crime', 'drama', 'action'] ['US'] NaN tt0061418 7.7 112048.0 15.687 7.500
9 tm98978 The Blue Lagoon MOVIE Two small children and a ship's cook survive a... 1980 R 104 ['romance', 'action', 'drama'] ['US'] NaN tt0080453 5.8 69844.0 50.324 6.156

Dataset Overview¶

The dataset provides detailed information about Netflix titles, including both movies and TV shows. Each row represents a single title and contains the following key attributes:

  • id – Unique identifier for the title.

  • title – The name of the movie or TV show.

  • type – Indicates whether the title is a Movie or TV Show.

  • description – Short synopsis of the content.

  • release_year – The year the title was released.

  • age_certification – The official content rating (e.g., PG, TV-MA).

  • runtime – Duration in minutes.

  • genres – List of genres associated with the title.

  • production_countries – Countries involved in producing the title.

  • seasons – Number of seasons (for TV shows; null for movies).

  • imdb_id, imdb_score, imdb_votes – IMDb identifiers and audience ratings.

  • tmdb_popularity, tmdb_score – Popularity and ratings from The Movie Database (TMDb).

This dataset serves as the foundation for our analysis, enabling us to explore trends, audience preferences, and the factors that drive popularity on Netflix.

Overview – Content Trends and Distribution¶

This section explores how the landscape of movies and TV shows has evolved over time. By examining the annual release trends, we can identify whether the industry is experiencing growth, stagnation, or decline. Additionally, analyzing the share of movies versus TV shows provides insights into the overall content structure, revealing which type of content dominates and whether this balance has shifted in recent years.

The release trends for Netflix movies and TV shows follow a similar trajectory, with both categories experiencing rapid growth until reaching their respective peaks before a recent decline.

For movies, the peak occurred in 2019, with 525 titles released, followed by a slight decrease in 2020 and 2021. TV shows, on the other hand, reached their highest point in 2020, but the output was consistently high across 2019–2021, maintaining over 300 new titles each year. Both categories show a downward trend in 2022, signaling a slowdown in new content releases.

A key difference lies in the volume of content: movies consistently outnumber TV shows, and at their respective peaks, Netflix released 525 movies compared to 314 shows. This indicates that, while series have gained strategic importance, movies still dominate the catalog in absolute numbers.

The pie chart reveals that movies make up the majority of Netflix’s catalog, accounting for 64% of all titles with 3,744 movies. In contrast, TV shows represent 36%, with a total of 2,106 series available on the platform. This distribution highlights Netflix’s continued emphasis on film content, although a substantial portion of the library consists of episodic series, reflecting growing audience demand for serialized storytelling.

Duration and Format Analysis¶

Distribution of Movie Durations:¶

We examine the runtime distribution of Netflix movies to understand audience preferences for film length. By visualizing this data with a histogram (enhanced with a Kernel Density Estimate for smoother insights), we identify whether shorter or longer movies dominate the platform, and whether there is a common standard duration that filmmakers tend to follow. This analysis helps reveal viewing habits and production trends regarding movie length.

Genres:¶

Going further, we analyze the most frequent genres within the Netflix catalog. A bar chart showcasing the top 10 genres provides valuable insight into the platform’s content focus. This perspective is particularly useful for both audience targeting and strategic decision-making, offering clues about which types of content Netflix prioritizes and what genres resonate most with viewers.

The histogram highlights distinct patterns in the runtime distribution of Netflix content.

For TV shows, the most common episode duration is 40–44 minutes, closely followed by 45–49 minutes and 20–24 minutes. These three categories are relatively close in volume, each averaging around 300 titles, reflecting the typical structure of episodic content designed for binge-watching.

For movies, the distribution is more concentrated. The clear peak is at 90–94 minutes, with 407 titles, after which the number of movies gradually declines as the runtime increases. Shorter movies are also less frequent, indicating that Netflix’s film catalog leans heavily toward standard feature-length productions.

Overall, this distribution confirms that series favor standardized episode lengths around 20 and 40–50 minutes, while movies are predominantly 90-minute features, with fewer outliers at very short or very long runtimes.

The analysis of Netflix content by genre reveals a clear dominance of three main categories.

  • Drama leads by a significant margin, with 2,968 titles, highlighting the platform’s strong focus on emotionally engaging and story-driven content.

  • Comedy ranks second with 2,325 titles, reflecting Netflix’s consistent effort to cater to audiences seeking light entertainment and humor.

  • Thriller takes the third spot with 1,228 titles, emphasizing the popularity of suspenseful and tension-filled storytelling.

This distribution shows that dramatic and comedic productions form the backbone of Netflix’s library, while thrillers provide a complementary yet substantial share of content. The remaining top genres contribute smaller but still notable portions, illustrating a diverse catalog designed to attract multiple audience segments.

Quality & Popularity – Insights from Ratings¶

To evaluate the perceived quality and audience engagement of Netflix titles, we analyze ratings from two major sources: IMDb and TMDb.

  1. Boxplots of IMDb and TMDb Ratings (Movies vs. TV Shows) By visualizing ratings with boxplots, we can compare the distribution and variability between movies and TV shows. This analysis reveals whether one category typically receives higher critical acclaim or stricter user evaluations. It also helps identify outliers – titles that stand out as exceptionally high- or low-rated.

  2. Relationship Between Ratings and Popularity A scatter plot of TMDb score vs. TMDb popularity highlights the connection between quality and audience attention. A trend line illustrates whether higher-rated content tends to attract more viewers, or if there are notable exceptions where popular titles receive moderate ratings and vice versa. These insights guide content strategy decisions, helping us identify the genres and formats that combine both critical success and audience engagement.

The IMDb ratings distribution highlights clear differences between movies and TV shows on Netflix:¶

  • Movies have a median rating of 6.4, with scores ranging from 1.6 to 9.1.

    • The interquartile range is wider, with the lower fence at 3.4 and the upper fence at 9.1, indicating greater variability in audience reception.

    • This suggests that while many movies perform decently, a significant portion receives moderate or low ratings, reflecting a diverse quality spectrum.

  • TV Shows generally perform better on IMDb, with a median rating of 7.1.

    • Ratings range from 2 to 9.5, with a lower fence of 4.5 and an upper fence of 9.5, showing that most shows are rated higher than movies on average.

    • The narrower lower range indicates fewer poorly received shows, and the higher median reflects consistent audience appreciation.

The TMDb ratings distribution further emphasizes the performance gap between movies and TV shows on Netflix:¶

  • Movies display a median TMDb score of 6.5, with ratings spanning from 1 to 10.

    • The lower fence at 4.1 and upper fence at 8.9 show that while some films achieve strong audience approval, there is substantial variability in quality.

    • The presence of low-rated titles suggests a diverse catalog where not all films resonate with viewers.

  • TV Shows continue to outperform movies, achieving a higher median score of 7.5.

    • Ratings range from 1 to 10, with the lower fence at 5.1 and the upper fence at 9.8, indicating more consistent quality and fewer poorly rated series.

    • The tight concentration of higher ratings reflects steady audience appreciation across most shows.

Insight: Both IMDb and TMDb analyses converge on the same conclusion: TV shows on Netflix generally receive higher and more consistent ratings than movies, suggesting that serialized content aligns better with audience expectations and engagement patterns.

The scatter plot examining the relationship between TMDb score and TMDb popularity reveals a slightly positive correlation for both movies and TV shows. This indicates that, in general, titles with higher ratings tend to attract more viewer interest, although the trend is modest.

However, the scatter of points also shows that there are notable exceptions: some titles achieve high popularity despite moderate scores, while others with excellent ratings may have relatively low popularity. This suggests that factors beyond ratings—such as marketing, genre, or star power—also play important roles in driving audience attention.

Overall, the trend line’s gentle upward slope supports the idea that quality content often correlates with greater popularity, but it is not the sole determinant of a title’s success on Netflix.

Conclusions and Business Recommendations¶

Key Findings:¶

  • Movies dominate the Netflix catalog with 64% of titles (3,744), while TV shows represent 36% (2,106).

  • Content production peaked between 2019–2020:

    • Movies peaked in 2019 (524 titles), slightly declining afterward.

    • TV shows peaked in 2020 (314 titles), maintaining similar levels across 2019–2021 before declining in 2022.

  • Runtime analysis shows:

    • Movies are concentrated around 90–94 minutes, forming a clear “standard feature length.”

    • TV shows cluster mostly around 40–49 minutes per episode, fitting the classic episodic format.

  • Genre analysis highlights a strong focus on Drama (2,968 titles), Comedy (2,325), and Thriller (1,228).

  • Ratings analysis (IMDb & TMDb) shows:

    • TV shows consistently achieve higher median ratings (IMDb 7.1, TMDb 7.5) than movies (IMDb 6.4, TMDb 6.5).

    • Scatter plots indicate a slightly positive correlation between rating and popularity, but popularity is influenced by additional factors such as marketing and genre.

Key Trends:¶

  • Shift in production intensity: After 2020, both movies and shows show a declining trend in new releases.

  • TV shows provide higher and more consistent audience satisfaction, making them strategically valuable for subscriber retention.

  • Dramas and comedies dominate audience interest, with thrillers as a strong complementary genre.

Business Recommendations for Entering the Streaming Market:¶

  • Prioritize TV show production for long-term engagement and better audience reception.

  • Focus on dramas and comedies, which form the core of viewer preferences, while including thrillers to diversify appeal.

  • Maintain movie production, but opt for quality over quantity, targeting 90-minute formats which align with current audience expectations.

  • Invest in marketing and discoverability, as high ratings alone do not guarantee popularity—visibility and promotion play a key role.

  • Monitor post-2020 trends to adapt content strategies to the declining production and shifting audience interest.